Give me time
by Rose-Aki
Summary: After the first day of sixth grade Helga doesn't know if she can have a public relationship with Arnold, so she talks to Dr. Bliss about it. Arnold/Helga


A/N: I saw The Jungle Movie and remembered how much I loved Hey Arnold when I was younger, so here I'm writing a story about Helga and Arnold. I hope you like it :)

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It was the first day of sixth grade and Helga still couldn't believe what had happened in the jungle a few days ago. Despite the dangerous situations they had been in it was a dream come true for her. Arnold finally seemed to feel the same way for her and he even kissed her. This time it wasn't a scripted kiss nor was it one that they could brush off as heat of the moment. Helga could only sigh dreamily when she remembered that he was even the one who initiated their kiss. To say she was on cloud nine would been an understatement, but now they were back to reality.

Helga smiled slightly when she saw Gerald and Phoebe hold hands. Her best friend had a crush on him for a while now and the blonde was glad to see that she found happiness. However when Arnold held out his hand for her to take her smile vanished. She had wanted this for so long, Arnold noticing her the way she had noticed him all those years and even returning her feelings, but now that she finally had it all she realized the consequences.

All those years she had hid her love for him, as well as her vulnerable side from the people around her, with the exception of Phoebe and occasionally Arnold. She had a reputation to keep and she was fine with it, because as long as everyone feared her they wouldn't laugh at her. However now she realized that this could change in the blink of an eye. She had been so happy about Arnold returning her feelings that she didn't consider where they would go from here. It was obvious by his behavior that he had every intention to show everyone his feelings for her, then again he was never one to hide his emotions like she did. Of course did Helga know that they were opposites in that matter, but now would be the first time that it could turn out to be a problem.

Not knowing how she should handle this situation, Helga did what she always did when someone came too close to her true self, she hid behind her bully persona. She could see that her behavior was hurting him and it pained her heart to see his reaction, but she didn't know if she could handle a public relationship. More than anything did she want to be with him after she had waited for so long, but she was afraid that their classmates would make fun of her again. The memories from preschool were still fresh in her mind even after all those years and her life had made her hide her vulnerable feelings even more. Not knowing what she should do now, she decided to visit an old friend.

After a day of hiding from Arnold, which hurt her just as much as it surely hurt him, she found herself in front of a quite familiar office.

The young woman seemed a little bit surprised to see her, but invited her in none the less with a friendly smile on her face.

"So what brings you here today?" Dr. Bliss asked the blonde on her couch after they sat down.

Helga could still remember that during her first visit here she had tried her best to avoid telling the woman anything, but now she really wanted her opinion, so without beating around the bush she told her what had happened in San Lorenzo.

"That's wonderful. So Arnold and you are a couple now, aren't you?" Dr. Bliss asked when the girl in front of her finished her story.

"I guess." Helga answered thoughtfully before she frowned. "There is still a problem. This morning he wanted to hold my hand and I refused. I know it sounds stupid, but I don't want to show our relationship off." When she saw how confused Dr. Bliss looked she continued. "Don't get me wrong. I love him and that he feels the same is more than I could ask for, but others would talk..." She paused for a second before she added in a smaller voice. "...and laugh at me again."

Hearing those words and seeing the sad look in Helga's eyes, Dr. Bliss could remember that Helga had told her why she became a bully in the first place. She hid behind her bully persona, because others had made fun of her for her affection for Arnold when they were in preschool. Helga's insecurities ran deep and Dr. Bliss knew that it was hard for Helga to be herself, even if it was only in front of Arnold, so it was understandable that the thought of others finding out about her vulnerable side scared the girl.

"It doesn't sound stupid at all." Dr. Bliss finally replied and smiled motherly at the sad girl in front of her. "You're just not comfortable enough to show how much you care about Arnold when others are present. Maybe you should talk to him about it."

"You think he would understand?" The blonde asked hopefully.

"After everything you told me about him, I'm completely sure."

Helga thought about Dr. Bliss' words and they made sense. Arnold and her had survived the jungle together, so talking about this should be easy, right? However even after telling herself that, she was still nervous about the talk she was going to have with him, but Dr. Bliss' words of encouraging let her hope that for once everything would turn out in her favor.

After saying goodbye to Dr. Bliss and leaving the office she immediately started looking for him, afraid that if she didn't talk to him now, she wouldn't be brave enough to do it at all. It took her a while, but in the end she found him sitting in the park with a far away look on his face. Hesitantly she sat down next to him and after taking a deep breath she spoke up.

"What a surprise to meet you here football-head." She tried her best to make her voice sound strong and self-confident like it usually was, but she was sure that he heard how nervous she really was.

"You avoided me all day." The sadness in his voice was unmistakable and it made her heart squeeze painfully.

"I know and I'm sorry." It was still hard for her to be this open, but when she took a hold of his hand and he didn't pull away, like she had been afraid he would after today, she was sure that she was doing the right thing. "This is new for me." She gestured to their joined hands and blushed slightly.

"It's new for me too." He blushed as well.

"But you're different from me football-head." She argued, getting angry at herself. "You're okay with being yourself all the time, even if people laugh at you for it. I'm not."

"So you're afraid of what people think about us being together?" He asked softly, slowly understand why she acted the way she did this morning.

"I'm not afraid of anything." Was her immediate defending reaction, but when she saw his expression and felt him gently stroke his thumb over her knuckles she calmed down. In front of him she didn't need to hide, she could tell him and he wouldn't judge her for it. Taking a deep breath she continued, her voice almost a whisper now. "I want this with you, but can it be our secret for now?"

She saw Arnold frown slightly, but he didn't let go of her hand or seemed angry at her.

"If that's what you want. Just let me say that I would be proud to call you my girlfriend in front of the whole school. I really like you Helga."

His words made her heart beat faster and for the first time since they were back in Hillwood she felt truly loved. Never had anyone said that he was proud of her and he even wanted everyone to know that he liked her. Such beautiful words directed at her were never spoken to her before and she was afraid that this was all a dream. However when she discreetly pinched herself she didn't wake up, so this was reality. This wonderful guy in front of her really liked her and wanted to be with her. Right now she wasn't ready to be open with their relationship in front of others, but she wanted him to know how much he meant to her.

"I'll try just for you football-head, but give me time." At her words he only nodded with a sweet smile and Helga couldn't help but lean closer to him. They hadn't kissed each other since that wonderful kiss in the jungle and judging by Arnold's half-lidded eyes he was thinking the same as she did, it had been too long.

Helga's eyes fluttered close the moment their lips met and for a moment she just let herself feel. It was wonderful to be in love and finally know that Arnold returned her feelings. With him, she could truly be herself and he would give her all the time she needed until she was ready to share this side with their friends.

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A/N: Please review an tell me what you think :)


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